Roberto Baggio: The Italian artist with a divine pony tail

• Roberto Baggio missed the decisive penalty in the 1994 FIFA World Cup final against Brazil

• He retired in 2004, having scored 27 goals in 56 matches for Italy

• The attacking midfielder won Ballon d’Or in 1993, and came second in 1994

Jayanta Oinam

"There is no place for poets in modern football," once said Oscar Tabarez when Roberto Baggio complained about a lack of playing time at AC Milan. The Uruguayan taskmaster, who often goes by the moniker The Teacher, was less than ambiguous while chastising one of his players during their short-lived Milan stint together. That exhortation from one of the most respected coaches in the world was also in itself a revelation of the Italian side of the game. The Azzurri, as the national team is referred to, were known for sacrificing individual creativity, and even freedom, for a controlled approach. So, Roberto Baggio, who had adored the creative genius of Brazil great Zico from childhood, was foundationally at odds with everything that was Italian football. Baggio, the footballer was a freewheeler trapped inside the rigid conformity of defensive play.

But, Roberto Baggio is no ordinary footballer. A creative force himself, the Italian midfielder was a thing of beauty when in full flow. Despite a career hampered by persistent injury, blame on a failed tackle during his early days at Vicenza in the third tier of the Italian league system, he still managed to leave an indelible mark on world football. And, there was an equal measure of joy and sadness. Like his idol Zico, Baggio also loved to play the game as it demanded -- in short, a match-winner, and evidently, he won a lot for his teams. But, there were also moments when he failed to deliver, like the 1994 FIFA World Cup final in Pasadena, California on July 17. "It was the worst moment of my career. I still dream about it. If I could erase a moment, it would be that one," thus wrote Roberto Baggio in his memoirs, Una Porta Nel Cielo – A Door In The Sky, or A Goal In The Sky – clearly struggling to live with one eventful spot kick that handed Brazil a fourth FIFA World Cup title. Goalless even after the end of extra time, Baggio needed to score the fifth spot kick with Brazil leading 3-2. Then, Baggio ballooned his attempt over Claudio Taffarel's bar under the setting sun. As the title of his book says, the goal escaped through the door in the sky. "Before I left for the finals my Buddhist spiritual master told me that I would be confronted with a lot of problems and that everything would be decided at the very last minute. At the time I didn't realise his prediction would be so accurate," he added.

Now, only a few would appreciate that Arrigo Sacchi's men would never have reached the final without Baggio's effort; and acknowledge the fact that two other Italians -- Franco Baresi and Daniele Massaro -- had previously missed the penalty kicks in the title clash. Italy’s wins over Spain and Bulgaria, by identical 2-1 margins, in the quarter-finals and semis, respectively, were results of Baggio's brilliance -- in the matches that mattered. For Roberto Baggio, it was a run started from the Round of 16, wherein he scored both goals for Italy against Nigeria in a 2-1 win. In the quarter, he and Dino Baggio (not related) scored, and a brace followed in the semis. That divinity was at play in that 1994 final was a claim Baggio could make without inhibition, for his career was, at one time, staring at a premature end. In 1985, just days before his transfer to Fiorentina from Vicenza, at 18, Baggio injured his right leg during a match against Rimini, coached coincidentally by Sacchi. The move to Florence proceeded as agreed upon, despite reservations about Baggio's full recovery. In the following months, he turned to Buddhism. With his seemingly otherworldly talent and a very distinctive hairstyle, Baggio became "The Divine Ponytail". He was now a self-confessed pacifist, but certainly not self-effacing.

Having established himself as one of the finest in the country, Baggio moved to Juventus in 1990 after five years of intermittent action in Fiorentina colours. He did manage to score 39 goals in 95 matches for La Viola. And, the move itself, then on a world record fee of GBP 8 million, resulted in riots. Roberto Baggio spent another five years in Turin and won the majority of accolades, a period (from 1990 to 1995) that coincided with his rise as one of the greatest. Besides the two FIFA World Cup appearances in 1990 and 1994, he was a regular for Juventus, scoring 78 goals in 141 matches for the Old Lady. Then, there was also the crowning moment of his career, Ballon d'Or in 1993. He was second in 1994. He also won a double -- Serie A and Coppa Italia in 1995. The following season, he moved to AC Milan and won the league. Stints at Bologna, Inter Milan and Brescia followed. In 2004, he retired, having scored 27 goals in 56 matches for Italy. And some of the goals, for both clubs and country, were sublime free-kicks. By some account, he scored 36 goals from set-pieces, including 21 in Serie A. No doubt, his idol was Zico, the owner of 101 goals from direct free-kicks. Roberto Baggio’s football career was much more than his free-kicks, deft touches and magical runs with the ball. He was the soul of Italian football, a player who’s not afraid to paint the dead walls.